Conventionally, a vibratory actuator has been known as a vibration generating source for notifying a user of an incoming call and the like on a mobile information terminal, such as a mobile phone, or a vibration generating source that transmits an operational feel of a touch panel and the realistic presence of a game apparatus, such as a controller of a game machine, to fingers, hands, feet, etc. (e.g., see PTL 1).
A vibratory actuator described in PTL 1 is formed in a planar shape to reduce its size. The vibratory actuator in PTL 1 has a planar shape that allows a shaft to support slidably a pivotably supported movable section.
A vibratory actuator described in PTL 2 includes: a stationary body that includes a housing and a coil; and a movable body that includes a magnet 5 and a weight and is disposed in a housing. The coil and the magnet cooperate to linearly vibrate the movable body that is slidable against the shaft, in the vibrating direction with respect to the stationary body. The coil is wound around the outside of the movable section that includes the magnet.
PTL 3 describes an actuator using the principle of a VCM (Voice Coil Motor) that includes a flat coil and a flat magnet disposed above the flat coil, the coil and magnet being disposed opposite to each other.
In any of the vibratory actuators, the movable body is provided slidably against the shaft, and is elastically supported by springs in a manner capable of vibrating in the vibrating direction. In the vibratory actuator adopting a VCM as a driving principle, no magnetic attractive force is applied in normal time because of the magnetic circuit configuration. Accordingly, what elastically supports the movable section is made mainly of metal springs. Each of the vibratory actuators is assumed to be mounted on a ring-shaped input device that has a vibration communication function as shown in PTL 4, for example.